The revelation that Kevin De Bruyne will depart Manchester City at the conclusion of the season undoubtedly adds extra spice to Sunday’s derby at Old Trafford against Manchester United.
The Belgian midfielder joined the Cityzens back in 2015 and has since donned the sky blue shirt 413 times, netting 106 goals and providing 143 assists. Remarkably, that assist tally is more than double that of David Silva, who stands second with 61.
De Bruyne will be eager to boost those numbers on Sunday, aiming for a much-needed victory to take back from the Theatre of Dreams.
Over the past decade, he has contributed to an impressive haul of six Premier League titles, five League Cups, two FA Cups, and one Champions League. As he prepares to leave the Etihad Stadium, he does so with great pride, presenting a significant challenge for Pep Guardiola as he seeks a worthy successor for the 2025/26 campaign.
Despite City and United’s current positions in the Premier League, sitting fifth and thirteenth respectively, the three points at stake carry equal weight as if they were both battling for the title.
There’s a very real threat that Guardiola’s men could miss out on European competition next season if they suffer one or two more losses in the final stretch of the season, comprised of eight league matches.
On the other side, Ruben Amorim will target a top-10 finish for the Red Devils, who find themselves trailing Bournemouth by seven points for the 10th spot.
Man United’s Chance to Do the Double Over City
If Manchester United triumph in front of their home crowd, it will mark the first time since the 2019/20 season that they have completed the double over their fierce local rivals. On a positive note, United have remained unbeaten against City in their last three encounters across all competitions, winning twice and drawing once.
However, a concerning statistic for United is that City have claimed more Premier League away wins against them than any other club, with a total of nine victories.
Additionally, five of those victories have come under Guardiola’s management, marking the highest number of wins for any visiting manager in the league.
Only recently, prior to United’s clash with Arsenal, Amorim was heard saying, “I will not have the time that Arteta has. I feel that. It’s a different club, so we just need to survive.”
Regrettably, little has changed since then for the Portuguese manager. Even with a stellar reputation established at Sporting Lisbon, Amorim currently holds the record for the highest goals conceded per game as a permanent Manchester United manager at home in the Premier League (1.89).
United have conceded 17 goals in nine home fixtures under Amorim and have yet to keep a clean sheet in their last eight Premier League games at Old Trafford, their longest run without a shutout since a 12-match stretch between April and December 2021.
This season, the Red Devils have earned just two points from eight Premier League home games against teams that started in the top half of the table (D2 L6), scoring five and conceding 19 in those matches.
On a personal level, Amorim has also recorded two victories over City this season, defeating them with Sporting in the Champions League as well as with United in the Premier League.
A Sunday win would make him only the third manager to beat Pep Guardiola in three consecutive matches, joining Jurgen Klopp, who has done it twice with Liverpool, and Thomas Tuchel, who accomplished the feat with Chelsea in the 2020/21 season.
Another glimmer of hope is that Manchester City have lost six of their last eleven Premier League away matches (W3 D2), matching the number they suffered in the preceding 37 away games (W26 D5 L6). However, they have generally performed well away from home, having lost more than six games in a season only once in the past 13 seasons (seven losses in 2019-20).
With Erling Haaland sidelined due to injury, the Red Devils might swing in relief given his impressive record against them, with nine goal contributions (six goals, three assists) in just eight encounters. However, his replacement, Omar Marmoush, has proven more than capable since arriving in the English top flight.
Bruno Fernandes: The Central Figure for Man United
Bruno Fernandes continues to be the pivotal player for United, having contributed to 21 goals at Old Trafford this season across all competitions (12 goals and nine assists).
An assist in this match would mark his third season achieving both 10+ goals and 10+ assists at home, a feat also reached in 2020/21 and 2022/23. He stands head and shoulders above other players since 1992/93, with only Dwight Yorke in 1998/99 (12 goals, 10 assists) and Cristiano Ronaldo in 2006/07 (14 goals, 11 assists) managing similar tallies.
Considering that only three fixtures in the past decade have finished 0-0 in this derby, a goal-filled match is practically guaranteed. In fact, at least two goals have been scored in all of the last 12 encounters between these two sides.
Three matches in the last decade did result in 1-0 outcomes, of which United won two. If Amorim’s side can tighten their defensive ranks, a narrow victory on home soil could very well be in the cards.
Both sets of supporters are aware that City has been the dominant side in Manchester recently, but in terms of overall derbies won in the Premier League era, United still holds the advantage.
Since the inception of the Premier League in 1992/93, the Red Devils have claimed 26 derby victories, compared to City’s 20 wins. In total, across all competitions, Manchester United has triumphed 80 times—17 more than their rivals.
As with all derbies, no quarter will be given, and only the most resilient will emerge victorious.
A thrilling Sunday showdown is set to unfold…
Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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